The UVA Bay Game is a large-scale participatory simulation based on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Players can take the roles of stakeholders, such as farmers, developers, watermen and local policymakers, and make decisions about their livelihoods or regulatory authority.
As they act, game participants can see the impacts of their decisions on their personal finances, the regional economy and the health of the watershed.
Developed by a multidisciplinary faculty and student team led by Dr. Gerry Learmonth, the UVA Bay Game combines a video game format with current demographic, economic and scientific data to create a powerful tool with real-world applications.
The simulation is a highly aggregated model of the sources of pollution reaching the Chesapeake Bay. Combining these natural data sets with political and social data sets creates the environment for both a participatory simulation game and detailed models of natural and human processes. The work on this game is a superb foundation for understanding the social and economic impacts inherent in the work that our students and faculty conduct.
Learn more about the UVA Bay Game.